Jaime Herrera Beutler Helps Pass National Flood Insurance Extension

Press Release

Joins Bipartisan Majority in supporting five-year extension

Today Jaime Herrera Beutler voted with a majority of her colleagues to extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), currently set to expire on September 30, for five years. The bill would provide protection for homeowners and small businesses in flood-prone regions, and was approved in the House by bipartisan majority, 406-- 22.

This five year extension would give longer-term predictability not only to homeowners but to small businesses, builders, apartment owners, real estate professionals and others employed in the housing industry. In recent years, NFIP has had only short-term extensions and even lapses into expiration. During last year's extended expiration in June, the National Association of Realtors estimates that as many as 50,000 new home loans were either significantly delayed or canceled.

The five year extension Jaime supported today includes reforms that improve the program's financial stability and provide avenues to increase private sector participation in providing flood insurance protection.

"Southwest Washington's families and its economy can't afford the disruptions caused by uncertain flood protection, and I am happy to support the long-term extension of this bill," said Herrera Beutler. "It would be a mistake to leave the folks in our region without the means to recover from devastating damage. Our economy has enough challenges -- we don't need to pile extra risk on top of businesses and employers as they make decisions about the future."

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